


Dream Come True

by LittleRabbitGrapefruit



Category: NINE PERCENT (Band), 偶像练习生 | Idol Producer (TV)
Genre: Angst for like 3 seconds, AspiringMusician!Zhangjing, Fluff, Happy Ending, Idol!Yanjun, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:28:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26775913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleRabbitGrapefruit/pseuds/LittleRabbitGrapefruit
Summary: Prompt # 125You Zhangjing is an aspiring musician, and he has always looked up to Lin Yanjun, an idol well known for his self-composed songs.Zhangjing always posts covers and demos in his soundcloud despite only having a very small following.Of course, it was unexpected that one day, Lin Yanjun would plagiarize one of his demos.
Relationships: Lin Yanjun/You Zhangjing
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7
Collections: Cloud 9 Fic Fest





	Dream Come True

**Author's Note:**

> Uhm, hello! I hope I'll be able to properly fill your expectations on this kind of story! I kind of wanted it to be longer, and you could tell that I wanted to set some stuff up at the start, but it seems time wasn't on my side, and I'm really sorry about that! I hope that you could still enjoy the fic though, I worked hard on it even though it's a bit of a mess at times.

**_Uploading…_ **

Zhangjing watched the bar slowly fill, waiting as his new demo would be uploaded online. He was nowhere near famous, just a simple office worker that liked recording covers and demos in his tiny, three-room apartment whenever he wasn’t swamped with work. Finally, the bar filled and his video was uploaded, he was quite proud of this song in particular, though it really was just a demo. He sighed, opening his weibo to see if there were any updates from his favorite idol.

_Nothing, huh?_ Zhangjing quickly locked his phone after no new updates came out even though he refreshed quite a few times. Lin Yanjun, that was the name of the idol that he looked up to so much, it was impressive how someone who was so handsome, good at singing and dancing, was also apparently the one that composed all of his songs. Zhangjing knew he could never be someone like that, someone so, amazing. Yanjun was somewhere he could only ever imagine being, an unreachable point for an absolute nobody like him. 

His most “popular” demo that he released almost two years ago just reached triple digit listens recently, while Yanjun reached platinum sales in just days. Zhangjing wasn’t jealous though, it only served to make him strive even harder to attain his goal. “Baby steps, baby steps.” He told himself, patting his cheeks, he doesn’t need to be as famous as Yanjun, he just wanted to be given a big enough platform to share his love for music with others. “No need to rush, it’ll all work out.”

Zhangjing shut his laptop, seeing how late it’s gotten, he still has work the next day after all. He settled under the cover of his sheets, feeling the cold winter start to approach as the season of autumn was about to come to its end. Staring at his ceiling, he stretched an arm out, as if he were reaching out to something. “Maybe someday, maybe you’ll be by my side, accompanying me.” Zhangjing sang out the lyrics for one of his older demos, as embarrassing as it was to admit, he wrote that out soon after he discovered Yanjun. _Haha, as if._ Zhangjing lowers his arm, shutting his eyes as he allows himself to drift off into sleep.  
  
  


_♪_ _对手, 对手, 对-_ _♪_

Zhangjing quickly slams his hand down on his phone, it was so incredibly rare for anyone to call him that just hearing his ringtone instantly woke him up. _Unknown Caller._ Zhangjing groaned, it was so early that it was still completely dark out, he pressed the decline button before putting his phone back down. _Probably just a misdial._ He returned to cozying up on his bed, ready to go back to sleep. 

_♪_ _对-_ _♪_

_Oh my God._ Zhangjing picked up his phone again, seeing that he was once again being called by an Unknown Caller. He massaged his forehead, _it’s too early for this._ He pressed accept, ready to just say that he doesn’t know who the caller is looking for. 

“Hello, is this You Zhangjing?” _Wait, I’m the one they’re looking for._ Zhangjing didn’t recognize the voice at all, and the fact that this complete stranger was calling him at basically 5AM gave him the creeps. “Uh, no. You’ve got the wrong number.” Without even a reply, the call was dropped. _What the hell? Rude._ Though Zhangjing wasn’t really that mad about it, he lied about not being him for absolutely no reason.

_Well, I don’t really trust giving out my name to some random caller at the ass crack of dawn._ Zhangjing was about to put his phone back down, but he hears the sound of a notification bell and he momentarily considers throwing his phone out the window. Deciding that he’d rather not have to save up for a new phone, Zhangjing calms down and checks the notification to see what’s up. 

**_New post_ ** _by_ **_Lin Yanjun!_ ** _“Suddenly felt inspired. Wait for me.”_

Zhangjing’s mind started to run wild, _a new single? A concert? Maybe a drama? Variety Show guest appearance?_ Whatever it was, it didn’t matter to him, just as long as Yanjun would be there, he’d most definitely want to see it. Zhangjing looked for Yanjun’s public schedule, praising the lord for all he’s done after he sees that Yanjun has an interview set for today. _I hope he says what this post is about!_

Hugging one of his pillows, Zhangjing started rolling around in his bed, excited to see what his idol was going to do. He checked his call history and stared at the unknown caller again. “Thank you for waking me up.” He jokingly placed his hands together as if he was giving an offering. 

Zhangjing looked outside, he still had quite some time before work, so he put his phone on silent, falling back into the slumber he was in prior to his rude awakening. 

Then, he felt the pinpricks of sunlight start to touch his skin, the faint heat piercing through his light curtains. He checks his phone, surprised to see that he had less than an hour left before work. _Shit, why didn't my alarm play?_ He scoffs once he sees the little mute symbol on the top of his phone's taskbar.

Zhangjing stands, stretching out his back until he hears a light crack and is washed over by satisfaction. He pushes open his bedroom door, going into the tiny living room/dining room/kitchen hybrid to prepare some food. He opens his refrigerator only to find a few eggs, some leftover takeout, and a random head of cauliflower hanging out. He grabs the takeout, takes out the saran wrap and pops it in his microwave as he sets a mental reminder to go grocery shopping sometime during the day. 

The familiar ding of the microwave signals that his food was done being reheated, he pops it open, waiting a bit for the heat to dissipate before grabbing some mitts to pull out the ceramic plate that had his leftover noodles. He places the plate on his table as he returns the mitts, grabbing a fork and putting it on top of the noodles. As he turned on his water heater, he grabbed his instant coffee packet and put a generous amount in his mug. His water heater finishes, and he’s pouring the water into his mug as he hears someone calling his phone that he left in his bedroom.

_♪_ _对手 对手 对手_

_下一秒钟攻还是守_ _♪_

_Yes, yes oh my God, I’m on my way._ He huffs as he returns to his bedroom, picking up his phone to see the same unknown caller as earlier. Zhangjing unconsciously rolls his eyes, wondering who exactly this weirdo is and how they know his name and number. He presses accept, hearing the same voice from earlier ‘Hello, is this You Zhangjing?” _Didn’t I already tell you it wasn’t earlier._ Zhangjing pursed his lips, questioning whether or not to respond. “Hello? Is this Yo-” The caller spoke again, but Zhangjing decided that there’s no real reason to hide it, they already know his number after all, if they were going to blackmail or extort him, there was nothing he could do about it. “Yes.”

“Oh! That’s great! I’m from Lin Yanjun’s studio, and I was wondering if you cou-” Zhangjing dropped the call, _yikes is that a new scamming method? I am so removing my phone number from my public information._ Just to make extra sure, Zhangjing blocked the number, not wanting to hear from them ever again. _That’s pretty scary though, they knew my name, had my number, and I’m pretty sure they didn’t pick Yanjun’s studio randomly._

Tossing his phone back at the bed, Zhangjing returned to his food, which was thankfully still warm, though his coffee looked kind of weird with how he wasn’t able to stir it. _Ugh, I hope that the flavor didn’t all go to the bottom._ Sitting down in front of his food, Zhangjing started to twirl some of the noodles onto his fork, taking a big bite. Once he swallows, he takes a sip from his coffee, not surprised at the lack of any distinct taste. He was about to take another bite when he heard his phone blaring once again, though it wasn’t his ringtone that was playing. 

_Shit, I’ve got 30 minutes before work._ Zhangjing quickly scarfs down the rest of the noodles, downing the entire mug of diluted coffee after that. He takes the quickest shower of his life before he scrambles back to his bedroom, pulling out the clothes he’d already prepared the night prior, like he always does. After patting down any part of him that was still wet, Zhangjing hung up his towel and started putting on his work outfit.

Content with how he looked presentable, Zhangjing exited his apartment, rushing down the few flights of stairs in the building. He brisk walks towards the bus stop, feeling lucky that he didn’t miss the bus scheduled around this time. It seems like his luck ran out though, feeling someone bump into him, making him lose balance and fall to the ground. Soon after his fall, he starts to feel a hot liquid seep through his clothes and the twinge of pain that arrives along with it. 

“I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” Zhangjing recognized the voice that called out to him, it was the same one that claimed they were from Yanjun’s studio. _Damn, scammers these days are so elaborate. How’d they know where I live?_ The tall, effeminate looking man in front of him held out his hand, but Zhangjing knew better than to grab it. Thankfully, the bus arrived just as the stranger was about to say something. _I have to leave before he tries anything else._ Quickly pushing himself up, Zhangjing shook his head as he rushed into the bus, seating himself somewhere towards the back. 

“Damn.” Looking at the huge brown stain that was on his clothes, Zhangjing sighed, he’d be late if he still went back to change. _There’s that guy too._ He watched the person that splashed coffee on him enter what seemed like a van, even had a big, burly man as a chaperone and everything. _I wonder what they want with me._ His personal info could only be seen in two sources, his weibo, and his soundcloud, so it’s highly unlikely that these suspicious people just stumbled upon him with no real explanation why.

The bus’ engine revved after enough passengers got on, and just like that, it was already moving along the road. _Maybe they are part of Yanjun’s studio…? And they found my music and wanted to invite me for a collab!_ Zhangjing chuckled at the thought, as if that would ever happen. In terms of popularity, Yanjun was at the apex, and he was at the complete other end of the spectrum. It would literally take a miracle for Yanjun to even know he exists, and Zhangjing must have saved a country in his past life if THE Yanjun would want to collaborate with him.

Just then, his phone vibrated, and Zhangjing was incredibly reluctant to check what it was, but it was thankfully just a notification from his weibo. _Oh yeah, Yanjun’s going to have an interview later! I really hope he talks about what he’s making._ The relatively short bus ride comes to a stop in front of the tall corporate building where Zhangjing works his lame 9-5 job, slaving away to create documents so he could earn enough to survive. _Man, I really shouldn’t have taken that liberal arts degree._

He closes the buttons of his suit, wanting to hide as much of the stain as possible, before standing up to leave. He was already a few steps outside, before he realized he didn't take his suitcase with him. Zhangjing takes a deep breath, evaluating whether he has enough time to go back. _The next bus towards here isn't until way later, what did I even have there? Do I have anything urgent?_

Zhangjing tries to channel all his brain power in recalling the documents inside his suitcase, and it seemed like he didn't really need anything since he just finished a presentation a few days prior. _Okay, okay. Just go in, nobody's gonna care if you forgot your documents, geez._

He walks towards the glass doors of the massive building, waiting for the doors to automatically open before stepping inside. He makes sure that the coffee stain wasn't that obvious, before going towards the elevators and waiting for it to arrive. Zhangjing basically threw himself inside after hearing the dinging sound followed by the doors opening.

Pressing the button indicating the 14th floor, Zhangjing lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding. _Looks like I made it, with 5 minutes to spare._ The doors closed and a slight rumbling sound to signal the elevator was moving could be heard. Luckily, the elevator didn’t stop at any other floor, bringing him directly into his floor, the doors opening once they were there. He hurriedly exits, making a beeline towards the check-in, and placing his ID into the scanner.

“Wow, you really cut it close there. Nice shirt by the way.” His co-worker, Chaoze teased as Zhangjing pulled his ID back. “Yeah, good morning to you too.” He makes his way towards his cubicle, slumping on the chair as he boots up his computer. _Okay, what was it that I needed to do today?_ Once the computer finishes turning on, he sees the sticky note he left yesterday, saying that all he had to do was compile some documents for a presentation next week. _Oh, not so bad then._

Zhangjing pretty much had this job down like clockwork now, it wasn’t especially difficult, but it paid well enough, and it’s not like he was looking for a challenge anyway. Though it was easy to lose track of time especially when he gets too engrossed in his work, it’s probably already past lunchtime by the time Zhangjing gets a good chunk of his work done.

"Zhangjing!" Chaoze called out from his cubicle, and Zhangjing could feel his face turn a bit red with how everyone most definitely heard that. He walks the short distance between their cubicles, standing at his coworker's side. "What is it?" He asks in a hushed tone, not wanting to disturb the other people in the office.

"Front desk just called, seems someone was looking for you." "Is that so?" Chaoze nodded, and Zhangjing could feel a bead of sweat form at the nape of his neck. _Who could be looking for me?_ He wondered as he walked back to the elevator he just came out of a few minutes ago, pressing the button to go down, waiting for the elevator's arrival.

He enters once it arrives, and presses the G button, the doors closing shortly after and bringing him to his destination. After he's back at the ground floor, he doesn't see anyone at the front desk, other than the receptionist manning it. _That's odd. I thought someone was looking for me?_ Realizing there was no real need to worry, Zhangjing walked up to the front desk.

"Good morning, Linong! I heard someone called for me?" The young intern at the receptionist table smiled at his greeting, pulling out a small paper bag and pushing it towards Zhangjing. "Someone left that, they said it's an apology." Linong explained as Zhangjing picked up the bag and looked inside.

Peering inside the bag, Zhangjing could very clearly see a brand new white long sleeve folded neatly inside the bag, it even had the price tag still on it. "Uh, did they leave any contact?" Linong shook his head, and Zhangjing had no choice but to accept that answer. "Thanks! Have a good day!" Zhangjing said as he walked towards the closest restroom.

Entering one of the stalls, Zhangjing locked the door and pulled out the piece of clothing inside the bag. "Now, what to do with this." He looked for the price tag, and felt his heart drop when he saw how much it cost. _This is more than I earn in like, 3 months! Besides, it was probably that same guy from earlier that gave this._ Zhangjing didn't like the feeling of soaked clothes, but this could very well be part of their elaborate plan, and he'll end up having to pay for something he clearly can't afford.

_Okay, think about this logically._ This person called him twice, then just happened to run into him and spill coffee onto his clothes, and now this same person probably followed him to his workplace and gave him these clothes. _What could it be he wants?_ Zhangjing doesn't think he's committed any crimes, nor did he anger any person that could warrant this. Throwing caution to the wind, Zhangjing takes off his stained clothes, and hurriedly puts on the shirt he received, sighing in relief once the damp feeling on his body was gone.

Taking the elevator back up, Zhangjing eased up when he realized he only had an hour left before he’s let off for the day. His stomach grumbles as he makes his way towards his cubicle, but he holds it off for now, he’d just make up for it some other time. He goes back to mindlessly finishing his work, his hands moving on their own as it creates the presentation for him to present at a later time. He checks the time, and sees that it’s already a few minutes past their dismissal, and that he’s already finished with his work.

“See you all tomorrow!” Zhangjing cheerfully exclaims as he boards the elevator, fully prepared to watch the interview Yanjun had a few hours prior. _Oh, not here though. It can wait until I get home._ He starts humming a nameless tune to himself as the elevator descends, glad to see that, although the day started a bit odd, things seemed to be turning out for the better. The doors open, and Zhangjing walks towards the exit, making sure to bid his farewell to the nice receptionist interning at their company, who responds in kind. 

The bus arrives just as Zhangjing exits the building, with him rushing towards it so that he could catch a window seat. Luckily, not that many people were in the bus, so attaining what he coveted wasn’t all that difficult, window seats were the best after all. Looking outside at all the people who are living completely different and unique lives unknown to oneself was something that Zhangjing found incredibly fascinating, and the somber, melancholic feeling of knowing that he’ll probably just be a passing moment too, never to be remembered for anything was good fuel when writing songs.  
  
After a while, the bus starts to move, and Zhangjing puts all his focus into looking at the scenes being presented in front of him. He literally just released a demo yesterday, but knowing that Yanjun had something in store really motivated him, made him want to try even harder to achieve his dream of being famous like that one day. Zhangjing takes in every little thing he sees, a couple flirting with each other in a cafe, a mother holding the hand of her child as they wait for the signal to cross, an elderly woman relaxing on a public bench, a group of students fumbling around the street as they make their way towards the mall, and finally, a busking street performer who has garnered quite an audience.

That last one brings a smile to Zhangjing’s face, when he sees others happy as they do the things they love, he just can’t help but be happy for them too. _I wonder if they’re all the kinds of people they wanted to be._ He knew deep inside himself was nowhere near where he wanted to be in life, not completely content with the way things are. _But what can you do about it? That’s just how it is. Some people win, and some people don’t._ Sure he was in no way a loser, but he definitely wasn’t a winner either. He might be fairly stable in life, but is this really all he ever wanted? No, there was something more important, and Zhangjing knew that, no matter how selfish it sounded, he’d never be content with his life if he were to never make it to the music scene.

To put it plainly, music was his life, he’d been singing since he was born, or maybe even before that. He loved to sing, to play the piano and his guitar, music was simply something that was with him since the start, and it never left his side. He’s glad where he is now, with a stable job, and a relatively fine living condition, but he knew that the young him would be incredibly disappointed. _Not all things work out the way we want it to though, and we have to make do with what we get._ Tried as he might, Zhangjing could never breach past small-time local competitions. Maybe he wasn’t as good at singing as he thought, and that was simply his peak, but something inside him didn’t want to give up.

The love for music was still present even after his parents basically forced him to leave it behind for him to focus on studying, the flames of passion dimming, but never fading out completely. That’s why, even until now, he still wants to keep trying, even if nobody will listen, he will sing. _Because that’s what makes me happy._ He told himself, shaking himself off the heavy thoughts, knowing that the bus would be stopping near his apartment soon.

The bus screeches to a halt, and he waits for the person beside him to stand and leave before he does so himself, making his way back to his apartment with relative ease. He fishes out for his keys when he’s in front of his door, unlocking it to be met with an all to familiar silence. He wanders into his bedroom and plops down on top of his bed, being a bit more tired than he imagined. Not wanting to ruffle his clothes though, he stands back up and shimmies out of his work outfit, putting on a loose t-shirt and a pair of comfy pajama pants as he returns to his bed. He starts to look for any uploads of Yanjun’s recent interview, and he almost screamed when he read comments about how good the demo for his new song was. _So it is a new song?_ Wanting to know for himself, Zhangjing played the video, excited to hear this demo for himself.

“Actually, you may know me as an idol that likes to compose my own songs.” _Indeed we do, Yanjun!_ Zhangjing really was glad to be a fan of Yanjun, as someone that liked to write and compose his own songs too, even though they weren’t nearly as popular as Yanjun’s. “I got really inspired, so much so that I was able to create a demo in less than a day, as embarrassing as that is to say. Would you like to hear it?” _Wow, Yanjun really is amazing._ Zhangjing swallowed as Yanjun brought out his phone, placing the speaker end close to the microphones. _What kind of song would it be?_ The anticipation was killing Zhangjing, his lips were dry and his hands wouldn’t stop shaking, as if his body was involuntarily trying to tell him something it sensed.

Yanjun tapped on his phone, and the faint sounds of piano keys could be heard. _Oh wow, that sounds really nice._ Zhangjing thought the sound of it was a bit familiar, but he couldn’t really remember from where he heard it from. The playing of the piano continued, and Zhangjing started to feel even more uneasy, sweat starting to form as his throat became dry. _Wait…_ A few more seconds of playing, and it finally clicked. Yanjun paused the music, right before Zhangjing knew his voice would come in. “That’s all I’ll let you hear for today, look forward to it soon!” With that, the interview ended.

Zhangjing stared at his phone with the most dumbstruck face he could muster, eyes wide in disbelief at what he just witnessed. With his shaky hands, he plays the video again, skipping to the part where _Yanjun’s Demo_ played. Zhangjing found it hard to breathe, his fingers unconsciously following along to every note played as if they were on his piano. He played the video again, and again, and again, and again, hoping that he was just mishearing things, and that this was all just him being dumb. But no matter how much he played it, the results never changed.

_That’s MY demo he’s claiming._ His blood ran cold when the thought finally solidified itself, his hero, the person who he looked up to, the man he wanted to be like, was nothing more than a fraud. _Who knows how long he’s been stealing music from nobodies like me?!_ Zhangjing’s grip on his phone tightened, the feeling of hot tears streaming down on his face coming so suddenly, he couldn’t even stop them before they just started falling one after the other. All his hard work, all those nights spend writing and composing, all going down the drain. _What the fuck!_ The tears continued to spill out, falling onto his screen and playing the video all over again. 

“Actually, you may know me a-” Zhangjing hurls his phone towards the wall, not even caring as he hears the sound of it shattering and falling to the ground with a crunch like sound. “Shit!” After realizing what he just did, he scurries over to see just how much damage he did, instantly regretting his actions when the phone refused to turn on. _No, no. Oh, God no._ While it was true that he had a laptop, he also kept a lot of important files on his phone, not to mention just how much of a necessity it was to have a phone in general nowadays. Leaving the broken heap of metal and glass on the ground, Zhangjing groggily returns to his bed, falling onto it with a loud thud.

_I can’t buy a new phone until like, months from now._ He internalizes just how big of a mistake what he did was. Aside from that though, there was a much more pressing issue weighing on Zhangjing’s heart. _Lin Yanjun._ He felt bile rise to his throat at just the thought of his name, no wait, he actually wanted to puke. He made his way over to the bathroom attached to his bedroom, slumping over the toilet seat as he started to vomit out the only meal he’s had so far today. _This isn’t fair. Why did things have to turn out this way?_ Tears spill out into the bowl, prompting Zhangjing to shut the lid and flush his toilet. He can’t even make it back to his bed before his body just shuts down completely, facing down on the cold tiles of his bathroom floor.

Lin Yanjun was his _idol,_ his _inspiration,_ he was _everything Zhangjing ever wanted to be._ So, why did things have to turn out this way? The Lin Yanjun that he held so dear, was so boldfully lying on live television by claiming a song that wasn’t his. _Has he done this before? Are all of his songs just things he stole from others? He’s been lying this entire time?_ Questions that he knew he couldn’t answer start to flood Zhangjing’s mind, the tears stopping due to his eyes finally drying out.

Just then, Zhangjing starts to hear knocking on his front door. “Is anyone home?” A voice he unfortunately recognizes as the person that’s been calling him since morning rings out from outside. _Well, I’d rather get my organs sold than to just continue living as a flop nobody would ever listen to._ Placing his hands on the ground, he exerts his all into turning over, landing on his back. After that, he uses the toilet as a point of balance, putting his arms on the seat so he could pull himself up. A few more knocks are heard, as Zhangjing finally gets back on his feet.

Leaning on the wall, Zhangjing finally makes it to the door, shakily unlocking the door. The moment it’s unlocked, he tries to push it open, but it seems he’s already overexerted himself, because next thing he knows he’s on the ground again. “Hey! Are you okay?” The same voice from earlier calls out as he feels exactly two people around him, one of them doing their best to try and lift him up. “Hey, help me out will you?” At their word, Zhangjing’s lifted off the ground from both sides, the strangers dragging him back into his apartment.

“Did he pass out?” _No, he didn’t._ Zhangjing didn’t really feel like he had the will to respond though. After a while, he feels himself being placed back on his bed, still unaware of who these people are. “I’ll go see if he has water or something. You better talk to him!” The door shuts after their declaration, leaving Zhangjing alone with, whoever this is.

“Hey, I don’t know if you’re awake, bu-” Zhangjing sits up instantly after hearing this person’s voice, there was no mistaking it, in his room right now, talking to him like nothing happened, is none other than the man that ruined his life, “Lin Yanjun!” The person in question places his hands in the air at Zhangjing’s sudden reaction. “Uh, yeah. That’s me.” _Yes I know that you fucking numbskull._ Zhangjing’s blood was boiling, what on earth was he doing here? And acting so nonchalant like nothing’s wrong? “Why are you here?” It was a question by all means, but the way he said it sounded like he was basically ordering Yanjun to leave. “I, uh, look, me and my manager just want to talk to you.” _Talk? About what? How you’re nothing but a goddamn phony?_

Zhangjing didn’t respond, he had no obligation to do so, Yanjun had wronged him in more ways than he can count, and he doesn’t even deserve that basic modicum of respect. “So I assume you already know what we want to talk about?” Zhangjing shakes his head at the question, what was he, a psychic? “Oh, really? Um, so if you’ve my intervi-” “Of course I’ve watched your fucking interview.” Zhangjing cuts him off, not restraining any of the raw emotions he was harboring at the moment. “You’re a bit more vulgar than I thought, but okay.” Yanjun approaches him, seating himself at the far end of the bed.

“I’ll keep it short and sweet, like you.” _Yikes, your weird flirting techniques won’t work on me now you ass._ “Would you like to collab? Or at the very least, give your song to me?” _Could you repeat that?_ Yanjun averted his eyes, choosing to look down, “Truth is, I’m actually quite a big fan… So I was hoping that you would say yes…?” Zhangjing’s jaw dropped, was this really happening? “B-but, you stole my song…” He wanted to punch himself after he said that, why on earth did he stutter and sound so vulnerable? Seconds ago he wanted to punch this guy in the face, but now he’s just melting like butter.

“I know, and I understand if you’re mad. It’s just that, when I first heard it, it was just so… I don’t know, good? Amazing? Perfect?” Zhangjing blushed at all the compliments suddenly being thrown towards him, though that still doesn’t erase the fact that Yanjun did something unforgivable. “I don’t know, I don’t think I can make such a decision so suddenly.” It was true, saying that Zhangjing wasn’t in the best mental state right now would be a gross understatement, and there was still a part of him that harbored some doubt towards the person in front of him.

_This just, doesn’t seem real._ Zhangjing purses his lips, staring directly into Lin Yanjun, _To be honest, this whole day doesn’t feel real._ Like a delayed reaction, it only set in for real that Yanjun was right there, in front of him, in his room, asking for them to sing a song together. Zhangjing’s throat somehow got drier than it already was, as he struggled to think of the right way to go about this. _This is just so unbelievable. Like it’s a dream._ Instinctively, Zhangjing leans forward holding his hand out and placing it on Yanjun’s cheek. _Ah, what am I doing?_ Surprisingly, Yanjun didn’t swat his hand away, nor did he seem that displeased by the sudden contact.

The surprises didn’t stop there however, with Yanjun placing his own hand on top of Zhangjing’s nuzzling his face into the palm still touching it. _Well, if this is just a dream._ “I love you.” The three words came flowing out of his mouth without even going through his brain first, as if he was running on pure emotion alone and had abandoned all rationality. “I love you too.” _Yep, definitely a dream._

Since this was all a dream, there would be nothing wrong with doing what he wants right? If this was all going to go away when he wakes up, he might as well enjoy it to the fullest. Leaning forward, Zhangjing could feel his heartbeat accelerate, and once again, Yanjun showed no signs of resistance or displeasure even though their faces were just barely about to touch. “Do you really think my music is amazing?” Even though he knew it wasn’t real, just hearing Yanjun say that his music was worth listening to filled his heart with glee, and he wants to relish in that feeling once more.

“The best I’ve ever heard.” Yanjun smiled, dimples and all popping up to completely win Zhangjing over once more. “Even better than yours?” Yanjun nodded, and somehow, Zhangjing felt like he was about to cry, but for completely different reasons. “That doesn’t mean you should go and steal it though.” Zhangjing teased, and the most faint pink dusted itself across Yanjun’s face. “I’m sorry, I really am.”

With that, Yanjun pressed his forehead against Zhangjing’s, closing his eyes as his face became even more flushed. _Oh God, I don’t want to wake up from this._ Zhangjing makes circles on Yanjun’s cheeks with his thumbs, feeling the heat emanate from the other’s face. “It’s alright, I forgive you.” Zhangjing knew it was stupid, that he would be swayed this easily, but it’s not like Yanjun doesn’t seem genuinely remorseful. Though there was definitely another factor dampening his thoughts. “Can you say it again?”

“What? That your music is better than mine? I didn’t take you for an egoist, baby.” Yanjun chuckled, his words might have sounded harsh, but it was clear he didn’t mean anything bad by it. “N-not that. The thing you said before. I’ll say it too, so say it with me, okay?” There was a short lull in their moment, as if their minds and hearts were connected at that very moment.  
  
“I love yo-” The two of them were interrupted by the door swinging open. “Hey! Sorry I took so long, I went ahead and made some coffee and te- Nevermind.” Just as quickly as he entered, the extra person quickly exited the room and shut the door once more. And it was only then that Zhangjing and Yanjun realized the compromising position they were in, backing away from each other ever so slightly. “Hey, Yanjun. Tell me something, this is a dream isn’t it? And when I wake up, I’ll still be the same wannabe producer with terrible music that nobody listens to, won’t I?” Zhangjing felt choked up, even though this Yanjun wasn’t real, he still couldn’t find it easy to just straight up break down in front of his idol.

Yanjun’s arms wrap around him, enveloping him in a surprising amount of warmth. “You? Terrible music? I could never see those in the same sentence.” Yanjun detaches himself from Zhangjing, “Give yourself more credit, you’ll be able to reach places I never could. I know you will, just give it time.” Yanjun gently pushes Zhangjing away, standing up from his spot. “It’ll all work out, just let time take its course.” After that, Yanjun opens the door, bidding Zhangjing farewell as he leaves, the door clicking shut shortly after.

Zhangjing sighs, realizing that his fantasy is probably going to end here, and he’ll have to return to reality. _This did make me feel a bit better._ He cozies up and lays on his bed, ready to wake up from this. He shuts his eyes, the words of Yanjun, or maybe they were his own words, ringing in his head. _Alright, tomorrow I’m so writing a song about this! And then, it’ll be a big hit! Or it won’t, either way, it’ll be just another step forward._ He psyches himself up for the coming day, and before he knows it, he’s drifting out, or maybe back, into consciousness.

The sound of knocking completely brings him back, his eyes adjusting to the gradual daylight coming from outside, he realizes he wasn’t back on his bed like he thought he would be. Zhangjing feels his back is sore, had he been sleeping at a weird position? Slowly adjusting to the level of light, he sees his laptop right in front of him, the notice that his song just finished uploading blaring right in the middle of the screen. 

More knocks come from outside, and Zhangjing is honestly too confused to question anything happening, so he groggily stands up from his chair, and starts making his way towards the entrance. He unlocks the door, not even bothering to look into the peephole, pushing the door shortly after. “Who is it?” Zhangjing realizes he probably sounds incredibly tired right now, though in his defense, he was. 

“Oh! I’m really sorry to wake you. I’m Zhu Zhengting, manager at Evan Lin Studio, and I was told to inform you that Yanjun heard your newest demo, and was hoping to talk about any potential collaborations?” _Hey, that’s the guy from my dream. I should go back to bed._ Zhangjing was about to shut the door, but a foot came in to stop it midway. “Hey, you’re You Zhangjing right? I’ve been a big fan since you released Crystal Sky.” Zhangjing could recognize that voice anywhere, it was that of Lin Yanjun’s, boldly proclaiming himself to be a big fan of Zhangjing. He sighs, pushing the door back open, “So, when am I gonna wake up from this dream?” Zhangjing knew it was stupid, there would be no point asking people in his dream when he’d wake up after all.

“I don’t know, cause to me, this is looking like a dream come true.” Yanjun replied, flashing a grin at Zhangjing. As if it were clockwork that only had the cogs start turning now, Zhangjing’s mind suddenly went into overdrive. “Wait, is this real? Like, seriously, honestly, this isn’t just me having a fever dream in my death bed or something?” Yanjun shrugged, walking closer towards Zhangjing. “How much realer can it get?”

“Uhuh, I’m gonna need a bit more than that.” Zhangjing was skeptical, if this turns out to be just another dream, he’d probably mentally implode. “How about…” Yanjun pressed a quick peck on Zhangjing’s cheeks, pulling back with a wink, “Now?” Zhengting pushed himself in between the two of them, handing Zhangjing a business card as he pushed Yanjun outside, lecturing him about what he just did as the door closed. Zhangjing inspects the card in his hand, it certainly looked like the business card of Yanjun’s studio.

Zhangjing made his way back to his room, placing the card on top of his laptop as he crashed into his bed, finding his phone on the bedside drawer looking fine and not shattered to bits. _At least you’re fine in this dream._ Zhangjing snuggled against his pillows, ready to escape this dream and hopefully wake up for real. He closed his eyes, and felt himself drift out of consciousness for what seemed like the twentieth time that day.

He’s rustled awake by the vibrations of his phone, signalling itself as the alarm he set so he wouldn’t be late to work. He swipes the alarm away, rolling off his bed and instantly regretting the decision the moment his body hits the floor. When he stands up, the first thing his eyes land on is the business card that was labeled as coming from Evan Lin Studio. _Wait, wait, wait, wait, is this real? No more weird Inception bullshit?_ He grabs his phone from the bed and dials the number on the card.

The phone rings for a few seconds, before it’s picked up and Zhangjing hears a voice that’s familiar, but also a voice he doesn’t know all that well. “Hello? This is Evan Lin Studios, Zhu Zhengting speaking.” _OhMyGodIsThisActuallyHappening?WhatDoIDoI’mFreakingOut._ Zhangjing takes a deep breath, “Uhm, this is You Zhangjing, about what you wanted to talk about earlier…?” Though he can’t see it, he can sense that Zhengting perked up at his voice, some giddy cheering coming from the other end of the line. “So, what do you say to a collab with Lin Yanjun?”

“I’d love to!”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reaching the end! Maybe one day I'll rewrite this and make it a proper story that doesn't shift around 200 different moods in the span of seconds.


End file.
